The sun., 1887-03-27
TUGS AS COAL CARRIERS.
THE BUSINESS OF TRANSPORTTNG
COAL TO EASTERN PORTS.

COAL To EASTEHN POh1S.
TIE First OF the stean PsIiins-why Barres
Are Better thaa scheeaers-Impreve-
nents In arGes-Disasters by Wreck.
One Of the big things anoat hereabouts,
metaphorically speaking, is the transportation
business by means Of tugs and tow barges on
Long Island Sound. For number OF years
people living along the Sound have seen big
tugs putting laboriously along with something
that looked like RATS with coops on them In
tow astern, or, II 1t happened to be little raft,
with nothing at oil perceptible astern except
three or four little coops that seemed to rise
up from the white caps at intervals OF 200 or
800 feet. The raft-like bodies with coops on
them were barges laden so deeply that the
waves even OF a moderate Sound gale made q
clean breach over them. OF late the number
Of these tows of deeply-laden barges has
greatly increased, until the number OF barges
In the trade has gone UP into tho hundreds, the
number Of tugs into the dozens, while employ
mont, in one way or another. Is given to n
large number Of men.
The freight carried on these barges is almost
exclusively coal, although now and then q
barge load, or rather canal boat load. OF lum-
ber and other coarse merchandise is seen In a
tow. There are variety Of stories regarding
the beginning OF this towing business down
tho Sound. Some say that a New York tug
man, finding himself without charter and be-
ing somewhat desperate. went on Change, and,
chartering canal boat, loaded her with coal
and steamed away for Sound port. which he
happily reached In a few hours in spite OF head
winds, which kept the schooner fleet that car
ried the coal In those days at anchor off White-
stone Another report says that Providence
firm, finding coal freight high and arrivals OF
schooners very irregular, determined. In spite
OF the supposed enormous expense OF tug. to
bring coal on by barge and steamer. and
to their surprise found 1t moro economical than
the old way. But n reporter, who inquired
among a number of offices Of transportation
companies engaged in that business. was told
that the first man to suggest the transporta-
ton OF coal down the Sound In barges. US a
regular and separate business, was the late
William E. Gladwish. Mr.. Gladwish thought
that a business could be worked up by agree
ing to tow the canal barges belonging to such
dreeSs to The e Sound @ which the coal
destined. instead Of transferring It to smiling
Ss sSs 5 h asnn IN d s Sr e ss sns Sss
sells. He proposed to Mr. T. Robert to put up
some money and take an interest. @ and Nh
tow of barsos down the Sound was q lot OF
Re Heading canal @ boats; bound to New Haven. Nn
body toy she"ss ss not eod 0fs pesby dsveSp
passage. particularly in winter. were to-,
not to be had, or il obtained the rate would eat
up tho profits However. in 1868 tho Delaware
and lsaritan began to patronize the new tow
done. No attempt to go into regular freight
ing business was attempted until 1869. Then
trade being good. a few canal boats were char
tered; loaded with coal at the best rates, OBJ
tanat1s and carried as far east as New LGn
sbsny .ant ana Ssssrea Them d?
sss aeWn as ss SeS sqsRa a
on at Buiiaio, and had finally discharged It at
Capt. COOK. He had made successful ven-
tuBs into to bs sownr as so far
Quoted there had been one drawback Canal
boats are very hard to steer and the only way
tugs. This was ali right in pleasant weather,
but smart blow. such az was likely to arise at
Ing, about like a Dutch gaIiot in q Channel sea,
and threaten to stave n the tender sides OF the
poas only aside "a Wills
trade demanded larger cargoes and chartered
Rig schooners S to get them Inn 80
this time formed company known as the
Eastern Transportation Line. bought the
H..
The Granada had had quite a, history before
she became the pioneer coal barge IN the
Sound trade having been built built for ,a,s;n SLAYER
she was used as a blockade runner. and after
4 sna S her
Her hull was sold at auction cheap, and; hav-
Ing been raised dscked made barge
Sss IT. The sns . an I'D sas
SsTEs at
old hulk was per cent. q day for a long enough
their bank account grow plethoric. The barge
such Large e to be to al
too @ macS Spps
last: In New York man no sooner finds the
profits OF any trade so large as to be burden
him Of some OF the strain. New transportation
companies began TO spring up, but 80 great
We're w % berses % than ms schooners that for ten or
twelve years nearly everybody that put ade-
quate capital into the business got fair return.
came out s' in A1ss is The Carrying @ Capacity 81
the lot amounted to about 1000, tons. One Of
hs bosR sai thy
9ld barge owner II said YESTERDAY; shs had no
down through vertically. with patent hoist.
ing gear IOr QlSCnHrRlnk Lne cargo, bue COSJ
$4,000. Her capacity was 100 tons.
or course the converted ships and steamers
that had beentised as barges had fair models
for parting the water. So had the craft built 80
far. but about this time two companies were
formed. in New Haven that did not believe in
the propriety OF putting so much money into
the barge. They therefore built lot Of water
tight boxes Of an average size Of rs by 45 feet,
or with . carrying capacity OF from $50 to 400
tons These barges were as cheap and sub
stantial as brick barge. the cost of
n 40O-ton barge being not far from $1,000
These bnrges, like those indeed that had
gone before them, were DIVIDED by. COM
partments into bins, the capacity OF bin run;
ming from 80 to lao tons. Thus dealor could
order 100 tons each Of four sizes OF cou
single barge. Some big, Well I-modeled bargos
have COMPARTMENTS holding over 400 tons
Awkward and unsightly rs these box barges
are to n sailors eye, they were very successful
as barges, and the two companies now keep
1875 OF them in service with a total carrying
capacity OF not far from $4,000 tons. Six pow
erful tugs are employed in towing them, as
many as ten barges, earrying 5000 tons being
taken at one time down the Sound. The two
companies now work together, iDstead of In
competition as formerly.., They afe known as
the Empire and New, England Companies
Besides these and the Eastern Company
already mentioned there are tho Boston. the
Thames, the Bee Line, towboat compnni los |;
s. \ i. sIBelden, r. +. Cahill, l., Luckenbach,
and other firms now In tho trade. Tho bust
neSs done NAV be estimated from that af the